Zoning would limit homes in Wine Country

WINE COUNTRY —— New zoning rules would limit owners' ability to
split up vineyard land into lots for homes if Riverside County's
Planning Commission approves a staff proposal Wednesday. The
proposed changes to the county's general plan would put
restrictions on new parcels smaller than 10 acres, according to a
pair of draft ordinances the commission will consider.

The altered rules would apply to the county's "citrus-vineyard
policy area," a 7,000-acre swath of agricultural land between
Butterfield Stage Road and De Portola Road. Current rules allow an
owner —— with the consent of the Planning Commission —— to carve
out 5-acre residential lots from an existing parcel. The commission
is now considering applications for at least 65 such lots.

Wine Country residents who cherish their rural lifestyle have
expressed alarm since last summer at developers' plans to add
dozens of custom homes in the area. Some growers and winemakers
have also pushed for zoning that would limit the number of new
homes in Wine Country and allow more local grapes to be grown for
Temecula Valley wines.

The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association and aides to 3rd
District Supervisor Jeff Stone were among the groups that weighed
in.

Jim Carter, who heads the land-use committee for the
association, said larger plots would keep out amateur growers who
might give up early, leaving their vines to pests and disease.

"It's very difficult to do a 3-acre or 4-acre or 5-acre
vineyard," Carter said. "All we're trying to do is make the
vineyards viable."

The two draft amendments amend the general land-use plan passed
in 2003 and the vineyard designation created in the 1980s.

The amendments cover everything from homes to citrus groves.
Flood lights are forbidden after 10 p.m., a provision that would
keep workers from picking grapes at night, when the skins are less
likely to burst. Properties of less than 20 acres would be barred
from hosting weddings and receptions.

Chiefly, the ordinances would block developers from splitting
land into home plots of less than 10 acres. Developers with at
least 25 acres could also plan homes on "clustered" 1-acre lots if
they set aside at least 20 acres for agriculture.

Many in the local wine industry are skeptical of the 10-acre
minimum.

"That might cut the number of houses down, but it's not
necessarily going to do anything for agriculture," said Peter
Poole, owner of Mount Palomar Winery.

The Planning Department hasn't released the text of the
ordinance the five commissioners will consider Wednesday. The
Californian obtained copies of the ordinances from a winery owner.
Planners couldn't be reached for comment Monday due to the federal
holiday.

Claudio Ponte, who owns Ponte Family Winery and has applied to
create 37 home lots of 5 acres each, said the new restrictions
would be "devastating" for smaller-scale landowners. The owner of a
single 19-acre plot wouldn't be able subdivide the land at all.

Cambridge Homes, a custom builder, had planned to split up a
20-acre parcel and build four estate homes there. The zoning change
would allow it to create only two 10-acre plots. Wayne Dollarhide,
an official with the builder, said Cambridge might opt instead to
build one home and a bed-and-breakfast. It isn't clear that the
zoning change would encourage wine-grape planting.